How teaching assistant pay is worked out
Teaching assistant jobs are advertised with a full-time-equivalent (FTE) salary: what the post would pay for 37 hours a week, all year. Your actual pay takes that figure and adjusts it twice:
- For your hours. At 32.5 hours out of 37, you get 87.84% of the FTE salary.
- For your weeks. You’re paid for the weeks you work (usually 39) plus the paid holiday that comes with them, out of the 52.143 weeks in a year.
Under the NJC Green Book method, a TA with under 5 years’ service on a 39-week contract is paid for about 44.65 weeks. After 5 years’ service that rises to about 45.25 weeks, because full-time leave goes up from 33 to 36 days.
Grades and spine points
There’s no single national grade for teaching assistants. Each council (and many academy trusts) uses job evaluation to place TA roles on the NJC pay spine. As a rough guide, entry-level TA roles often start near the bottom of the spine, more experienced TAs a few points higher, and HLTAs higher again. Always check the spine point in your contract.
Hours and weeks
- Hours: TA contracts range from about 20 to 32.5 hours a week. Many follow the school day, so 6 or 6.5 hours a day.
- Weeks: 39 weeks is the most common figure: 190 school days plus 5 INSET days. Some contracts are 38 weeks or “term time plus” a week or two.
Things to check on your contract
- The FTE salary or spine point, and when you move up the scale (usually each April until you reach the top of your grade).
- The full-time hours used (37 under the Green Book).
- Whether your holiday is stated in days or weeks, and whether it goes up after 5 years.
- Whether you’re paid for INSET days, training or meetings outside your normal hours.
Worked examples
Calculated with the same method as our term-time pay calculator, using 2026/27 NJC pay spine values. Your council or school may put the role on a different spine point.
Level 1 teaching assistant: SCP 3, 27.5 hours
An entry-level TA working 9am to 3pm with a lunch break, five days a week.
FTE salary £25,614.00, 27.5 of 37 hours a week, 39 weeks a year, holiday: Green Book (pro-rated).
Actual pay: £16,302.39 a year, £1,358.53 a month.
See the working
Working
- Hours fraction 27.5 ÷ 37 hours = 0.7432
- Full-time leave (all-year employee) 23 + 8 + 2 days = 33 days
- Full-time leave in weeks 33 days ÷ 5 = 6.6 weeks
- Term-time holiday weeks (pro-rated) 39 × 6.6 ÷ (52.143 − 6.6) = 5.652 weeks
- Paid weeks 39 weeks worked + 5.652 holiday weeks = 44.652 weeks
- Paid-weeks factor 44.652 ÷ 52.143 weeks in a year = 0.8563
- Actual annual pay £25,614 × 0.7432 × 0.8563 = £16,302.39
- Monthly pay (12 equal instalments) £16,302.39 ÷ 12 = £1,358.53
- Hourly rate £25,614 ÷ (37 hours × 52.143 weeks) = £13.28
- Weekly pay in a week you work £13.28 × 27.5 hours = £365.10
Worked at full precision and rounded only for display (money to 2 decimal places, factors to 4). Some employers use a days-based method or round at different stages, so your payslip may differ by a few pence.
Level 2 teaching assistant: SCP 5, 32.5 hours
A common contract covering the full school day, from 8:30am to 3:30pm.
FTE salary £26,427.00, 32.5 of 37 hours a week, 39 weeks a year, holiday: Green Book (pro-rated).
Actual pay: £19,877.99 a year, £1,656.50 a month.
See the working
Working
- Hours fraction 32.5 ÷ 37 hours = 0.8784
- Full-time leave (all-year employee) 23 + 8 + 2 days = 33 days
- Full-time leave in weeks 33 days ÷ 5 = 6.6 weeks
- Term-time holiday weeks (pro-rated) 39 × 6.6 ÷ (52.143 − 6.6) = 5.652 weeks
- Paid weeks 39 weeks worked + 5.652 holiday weeks = 44.652 weeks
- Paid-weeks factor 44.652 ÷ 52.143 weeks in a year = 0.8563
- Actual annual pay £26,427 × 0.8784 × 0.8563 = £19,877.99
- Monthly pay (12 equal instalments) £19,877.99 ÷ 12 = £1,656.50
- Hourly rate £26,427 ÷ (37 hours × 52.143 weeks) = £13.70
- Weekly pay in a week you work £13.70 × 32.5 hours = £445.18
Worked at full precision and rounded only for display (money to 2 decimal places, factors to 4). Some employers use a days-based method or round at different stages, so your payslip may differ by a few pence.
HLTA: SCP 15, 32.5 hours, 5+ years' service
A higher level teaching assistant with more than 5 years' service, so more paid holiday.
FTE salary £31,015.00, 32.5 of 37 hours a week, 39 weeks a year, holiday: Green Book (pro-rated).
Actual pay: £23,640.46 a year, £1,970.04 a month.
See the working
Working
- Hours fraction 32.5 ÷ 37 hours = 0.8784
- Full-time leave (all-year employee) 26 + 8 + 2 days = 36 days
- Full-time leave in weeks 36 days ÷ 5 = 7.2 weeks
- Term-time holiday weeks (pro-rated) 39 × 7.2 ÷ (52.143 − 7.2) = 6.248 weeks
- Paid weeks 39 weeks worked + 6.248 holiday weeks = 45.248 weeks
- Paid-weeks factor 45.248 ÷ 52.143 weeks in a year = 0.8678
- Actual annual pay £31,015 × 0.8784 × 0.8678 = £23,640.46
- Monthly pay (12 equal instalments) £23,640.46 ÷ 12 = £1,970.04
- Hourly rate £31,015 ÷ (37 hours × 52.143 weeks) = £16.08
- Weekly pay in a week you work £16.08 × 32.5 hours = £522.47
Worked at full precision and rounded only for display (money to 2 decimal places, factors to 4). Some employers use a days-based method or round at different stages, so your payslip may differ by a few pence.
Covers England and Wales. Northern Ireland not covered. Northern Ireland did not adopt the 2024 holiday changes for part-year workers, so these results don't apply there.
- Scotland: council staff are on SJC terms, not the NJC Green Book, and many Scottish councils use a 35-hour week. Change the full-time hours and holiday to match your contract.
- Academies: most academies follow the Green Book, but they don't have to. Check your contract for your full-time hours and holiday entitlement.
- Gross pay only: no tax, National Insurance, pension, overtime or allowances.